Kristin Kryway, USWeb/CKS, 415/369-6718
[email protected]
AT&T Veteran Brings Over 25 Years of Global Business Experience To USWeb/CKS
Rich Evans to Lead Strategic Human Resources Effort
San Francisco - October 26, 1999 - USWeb/CKS (Nasdaq: USWB), the leader in Internet professional services, today announced the appointment of Richard Hunt Evans (Rich) to senior vice president of human resources and Chief People Officer, reporting to CEO Robert Shaw. USWeb/CKS, which has grown rapidly to over 4,000 employees in order to meet demand for Internet professional services, selected Evans to strategically extend human resources in support of the company�s growth objectives and �people-first� philosophy.
Evans�s career is highlighted by his experience in leading and creating human resources efforts in dynamic and quickly scaling corporate environments -- domestically and internationally. Evans spent a majority of his 25-year career with Fortune-10 global leader AT&T, including its break-up and consolidation. As vice president of international human resources, he and his team supported over 56,000 employees for AT&T International. After NCR Corp. was spun off from AT&T in 1997, Evans was responsible for rebuilding NCR�s human resources function from the ground up. In addition to his excellent track record in human resources, Evans brings additional experience as both an attorney and line-of-business manager, thus adding depth to USWeb/CKS�s corporate team and providing a hands-on perspective in developing programs for a high-growth, results-oriented business.
As Chief People Officer at USWeb/CKS, Evans will be responsible for expanding the firm�s recruiting and retention programs, uniting people around the company�s values, and developing training and professional development programs that propel the company�s leadership momentum.
�The people who work for this company are priority one,� said Robert Shaw. �Rich brings a unique set of business and interpersonal skills that will help ensure that USWeb/CKS is at the forefront of redefining Internet professional services for the benefit of our clients and employees. We believe he is the right person to help create a powerful culture that will attract new people to the firm -- creating an environment that will enable our professionals to do the best work of their careers.
�USWeb/CKS has an incredible mix of talent -- creative, strategic and technical,� said Evans. �Our path to success lies in enabling the professionals in each discipline to contribute their individual insight to client opportunities. It�s our depth of talent that the human resources team will continue to nurture and grow.�
USWeb/CKS has grown each year through organic growth as well as acquisitions. The company has an outstanding record for organic growth � an average of 50% per year, 22% of sequential organic growth for Q3 alone. During the third quarter the company added 356 professionals organically (net) and also added approximately 700 employees, mostly experienced business strategy consultants, through the acquisition of Mitchell Madison Group.
Evans began his career as an attorney in 1972, and in 1978 joined AT&T�s legal team. His more than 20-year career with AT&T spanned the break-up and consolidation of AT&T, the rise of local and long-distance competition, rapid global expansion and the spin off of NCR Corp. As vice president of international human resources for AT&T, he helped develop the �one AT&T� strategy for approaching the competitive telecommunications environment on a global scale. Also at AT&T, Evans was the president and regional managing director for AT&T Communications in Hong Kong and served early in his career as director of international marketing and sales for AT&T computer systems.
Evans has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Principia College in Elsah, Illinois, and received his J.D. from Washington University in St. Louis. He also completed the senior executive program at M.I.T.�s Sloan School of Business.
About USWeb/CKS
USWeb/CKS (Nasdaq: USWB) seeks to transform businesses in the digital economy and create sustainable market leadership for its clients. As a leading Internet professional services firm, USWeb/CKS has created a new standard for success in the digital economy -- Time-to-Value. Time-to-Value means USWeb/CKS applies its extensive insight, experience and scale to deliver breakthrough results quickly. The Company is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with more than 4,000 professionals in over 50 locations worldwide. Additional information about USWeb/CKS is available by calling 415/284-7070.
This press release contains �forward-looking statements� (as defined under securities laws) regarding the anticipated growth of the Internet professional services industry, USWeb/CKS�s position as a leader in this industry and the continued growth and expansion of the professional environment and depth of talent at USWeb/CKS. Our actual results may differ materially and adversely from those discussed in this press release. Key factors that could cause such a difference include, without limitation, a decline in growth in the demand for Internet professional services, risks associated with the rapid growth in the number of employees of USWeb/CKS, difficulties in integrating operations from acquisitions, and difficulties in retaining employees in a highly competitive environment. For additional factors that may affect our business, see the documents filed by us with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.